Garment rack bracket



Feb. 10, 1942. A, TRASK 2,272,446

GARMENT RACK BRAcxEm Filed sept. lso, 1940 Patented Feb. 1G, 1942 ATENTOFFICE 2,272,446 Gant/mm nAcK BRACKET Allen Trask, St. Paul, Minn.,assignor to Walter Haertel Products Company,

Minneapolis,

2 Claims.'

'Ihis invention relates to garment racks, and in particular to a bracketarm which is adapted to receive and support one or more rack barsdisposed parallel to the floor.

In many cases it is desirous that garment racks be furnished with thesupporting structure and laterally extending brackets, but without thehorizontal rack bars. Generally the purchaser can supply himself withrack bars locally at a lower price than they could be shipped to him bythe manufacture of the remainder of the rack. While this is true,` it issometimes difhcult for the purchaser to secure rack bars of a particularsize needed for certain rack brackets if he is to secure the bars at anadvantageous price.

It is, therefore, a general object ci my invention to provide a bracketfor garment racks upon which horizontal rack bars can be quickly andeasily mounted and secured in position when the racks are set up attheir place of use.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a bracket for garment rackswhich are so constructed that it will receive and securely support rackbars of various sizes with equal facility.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bracket for garmentracks which can be cheaply and simply stamped in a single stampingoperation.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a bracket forgarment racks which when erected and provided with rack bars presents aneat and pleasing appearance and has no sharp or outwardly projectingsmall portions against which a prospective customer might strike himselfin the head or shoulders.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fullyappear from the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to thesame parts throughout the various views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion oi a completely installedgarment rack with the supporting posts and rack bars broken away attheir medial portions;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through a garment rack erected as shownin Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken approximately on the line 3 3 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary View of the end of a bracket armillustrating the manner of installation of a relatively large rack bar,`and Fig. 5 is a View generally similar to Fig. 4,

showing the manner of installation of a relatively small rack bar.

In the drawing there is shown a pair of posts 6 Whose lower ends areadapted to restl upon a floor 'I and whose upper ends are arrangedsuitably for attachment to a ceiling 8. Couplings 9 in the posts 6permit slight adjustment of the length of each bar or the substitutionof diiferent lengths of upper post portions to accommodate differentheights of ceiling. Each of the bracket arms B comprises a main webportion Iii with upper and lower flanges II and I2 lying in planessubstantially in right angles to the web I0. The inner end of each ofthe bracket members B is provided with a curved portion II adapted to tpartially around a post 6 and the inner edge of each of the bracketmembers is provided with an angular portion I4, and, as best shown inFig. 3, when two bracket members are placed oppositely to each otheragainst one of the posts 6, said bracket members can be securely clampedtogether and also to the post by means of nutted bolts I5 which passthrough the bracket members to provide a tight clamp at their inner endsaround the post.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the outer end of each bracket bar B isprovided with a cutout portion comprising a notch IS. It will be seenthat the notch is cut down substantially straight at its left side andthen along the arc of a circle until it reaches a portion of the lowerweb flange l2 which comprises an upwardly and outwardly extending tonguemember I'l. At least the tongue member Il of the bracket B is of amalleable material and is preferably of a material which can be bentwith an ordinary hammer and is of such material that when bent it willretain its bent position under ordinary usage of the rack.

In Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a rack bar I8 which conforms generallytothe shape of the arcuate portion of the notch I6 in the end of eachbracket arm. In Fig. 4, however, there is shown a rack bar I9 whosecircumference lies in a circle of greater radius than that of thearcuate portion of said bar receiving notch I6. Thus the rack bar I9will not t down into the bottom of the notch I6, but the malleabletongue member I'I can be bent, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, sothat the rack can still be securely clamped to the bracket B. n

In Fig. 5 there is shown a rack bar Et whose circumference described acircle having a radius less than that of the. arcuate portion of thenotch i6 so that said bar will t easily into the lower portion of thenotch. In this case, when the malleable tongue member I'I is bent aroundthe bar 20 by hammer or other suitable means, said bar 2U willbe nearlycompletely encircled and naturally securely retained by the bracket B.

It should be noted that regardless of whether a relatively large orsmall rack bar is mounted between two of the spaced brackets B, theretaining malleable members I'l, being fiat against the rack bar, willlie substantially flush there- With and the bracket thereby offers noprojecting portions against which a customer might strike and injurehimself. In many cases the rack bars are placed at an elevation againstwhich ones shoulder or head might strike and some of the -conventionalforms of garment racks have projecting studs or other elements whichoier an opportunity for possible serious injury in the event ofrelatively hard contact therei.

with. j

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided abracket for supporting the bars of garment racks which is a relativelysimple structure and which is capable of formation in a single stampingoperation. The clamp portions I3 and I4 at the inner ends of the bracketmembers, as well as the reeniorcing flanges Il and I2 along the upperand lower edges and the malleable tongue member il which formcontinuations of the flanges l2, can all be shaped in a singleoperation. rIhe malleable retaining tongues l1 in combination with thenotches l5 comprise means for receiving and securing the rack bars whichrequire little time in the erection of the rack for proper installationof the rack bars, and the bar retaining means is such that no skill isrequired in the placement and securing of the rack bars. One of the mostimportant features of the invention is the simplicity of the fasteningmeans combined with the capability of installing rack bars of diierentdiameters without having to make any adjustments or alterations in thebar fastening means.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A bracket for garment racks comprising, a laterally extending webhaving a rack bar re ceiving notch formed therein, said notch being atleast partially deiined by a relatively iiat malleable member extendingfrom said web and lying in a plane normal to said web and capable ofbeing bent at least partially about a rack bar receivable in said notch.

2. A bracket for garment racks comprising, a laterally extending armcomprising a substantially vertical web portion having means forattachment to a support, said arm having an outer end with a generallyupwardly open notch formed therein to receive and support a rack bar, aportion of said web being of tongue-like formation and bent to lie in aplane substantially normal to the general plane of said web, said tongueportion defining a portion of said notch, and said tongue portionfurther being malleable to permit it to be bent about a rack barreceivable in said notch with said tongue lying substantially iiush withsaid rack bar.

ALLEN TRASK.

